Victim's kin sue in Wal-Mart stampede death
The family of a worker trampled to death in a "Black Friday" crush of bargain hunters at a Long Island Wal-Mart store claims in a lawsuit that store ads offering deep discounts led to "crowd craze."

Passengers describe 'cheeky' pirate attack

Passengers on a luxury cruise liner attacked by pirates in the dangerous waters between Yemen and Somalia said Wednesday they were surprised by the assailants' boldness.

Conservatives form rival to Episcopal Church
Theological conservatives upset by the liberal views of the Episcopal Church are forming a rival denomination.

‘Sound of Music' hotel hits sour note

The Austrian city of Salzburg has blocked plans to open a hotel in a former home of the von Trapp family immortalized in "The Sound of Music" after protests by neighbors.

China forces AIDS activist to return home

A Chinese AIDS activist said Wednesday that she was forcibly taken back to her rural home after participating in World AIDS Day in Beijing.

Harvard endowment loses $8 billion
Harvard University says its endowment has tumbled $8 billion in the four months since the end of the last fiscal year.

Franken pulls closer but Coleman still leads

Democrat Al Franken caught a couple of breaks Tuesday as the recount in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race drew closer to a finish, though not enough to undo Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's persistent lead.

Experts offer ideas to fix Detroit
Auto industry experts have a wide range of ideas on how to fix the problems facing the Big Three, ranging from higher gas taxes to bankruptcy. Here is a sampling of their views.

Pierce to play despite Burress shooting probe

The New York Giants expect Antonio Pierce to play in Sunday's game against Philadelphia while the team gathers information on the linebacker's involvement in a shooting that led to the season-ending suspension of star receiver Plaxico Burress.